A French surgeon, who has been imprisoned since 2017, may have sexually abused up to 250 children, investigators revealed on Monday. The surgeon stands accused of rape and sexual abuse of minors during his 30 years of practice in Western France.
Two years earlier, he was arrested after accusations were made pertaining to the abuse of four children between 1989-2017, including his neighbour’s six-year-old daughter. According to the state prosecutor in the city of La Rochelle, of the identified victims of Joël Le Scouarnec, 209 have been interviewed. Of them, 184 expressed their willingness to press charges and 181 of them asserted that they were minors when they were assaulted.
Le Scouarnec is accused of raping a young relative, sexually abusing another young relative and abusing a young patient. “250 potential victims of acts of paedophilia that do not fall under the statute of limitations were identified during the (second) investigation,” the public prosecutor, Laurent Zuchowicz said on Monday. He confirmed that the authorities were able to interview 209 victims, “several of whom had very precise memories” of the alleged abuse.
As per reports, the French surgeon recorded the names of minor boys and girls in private notebooks, in which he described sex acts and fantasies and how he abused the 250 children. The police also uncovered child pornography, dolls hidden and wigs hidden in the floor during a search of the medic’s home. Francesca Satta, a lawyer of some of the survivors said, “They remembers perfectly well what they endured but never talked about it because they were afraid.” In 2005, Le Scouarnec was sent to jail for possessing child pornography.
Details of the search had appeared in August earlier this year. “It was like descending into Hell,” one detective had said. “Even the police officers were very shocked. He describes his feelings, his pleasure.” “He claims they are fictionalised writings about his fantasies, however nauseous they are,” Thibault Kurzawa, his lawyer, had claimed. “He admits that his behaviour is inappropriate. It is almost a relief for him to have been arrested because he was in a spiral. He wasn’t able to do anything else.”
With more details coming to light, Le Scouarnec is being dubbed the worst paedophile in French history. He trial is set to begin on the 13th of January next year.
